Using Online Education Technologies to Support Studio Instruction

Technology is transforming the education and practice of architecture and design. The newest form of education is blended learning, which combines personal interaction from live class sessions with online education for greater learning flexibility (Abrams & Haefner, 2002). Reluctant to join the digital era are educators teaching studio courses (Bender & Good, 2003), who may be unaware of the possibilities and benefits of teaching with technology. The argument proposed in this study is that blended learning will enhance studio courses. Studios are unique learning environments embedded in an historical context. This article presents a process of infusing a traditional studio with online technologies. The result is a more streamlined course that enhances student learning, provides targeted instruction to individual students, serves a larger group of students than a traditional studio, and does not increase faculty workload.